Reds 7, Nationals 0: Johnny Gomes (Johnny Gomes?) hits three homers and Bronson “Flintstones kids, ten million strong and growing”
Arroyo throws a two-hit shutout. Obviously his best game of the season,
so maybe he decided to use his one DUI last night. Hey man, he earned
it.

Rockies 10, Pirates 1: Yesterday I complained about Josh
Beckett’s possible Cy Young. No such worries about Jason Marquis,
though. Sure, he has the wins, but there are a lot of guys pitching
much better than him overall who are close enough in the oh-so-critical
win column and who pitch for contenders (e.g. Lincecum, Carpenter,
Cain, Wainwright). I don’t think that even baseball writers are dumb
enough to overlook all of them and give Jason Marquis an award. But
hey, he did pitch well yesterday (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER).

Royals 5, Twins 4: Joe Mauer was 2-4 with a homer and four RBI,
but it wasn’t enough as (a) no one else on his team knocked anyone in;
and (b) Carl Pavano allowed 5. The Royals take the series 2-1, which is
their first win since the signing of the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819. At
least it seems like it.

Phillies 6, Cubs 1: And the sweep. Cliff Lee, he’s pretty good (8 IP, 6 H. 1 ER, 8K). Easily the best pickup for Philadelphia this year. In any sport.

Rangers 4, Indians 1: A day game, but they replayed it on STO
last night. AMC was showing “Major League” at the same time. I don’t
think I need to tell you which one I watched. Kind of wished I had
watched the seventh and eighth of this one, though, as Neftali Feliz
struck out five guys in those two innings of relief work. Gotta love
that Mark Teixeira trade!

Brewers 12, Padres 9: Prince Fielder and Mike Rivera each had
two dingers, and Ryan Braun launched one too. They needed it all,
though, as despite jumping out to a 9-0 lead, they never really put the
Padres away until the very end. According to the game story, Fielder
and Braun wouldn’t talk to the media after the game, choosing instead
to defy the requests of the Brewers’ P.R. department and hide in the
meal area that is off limits to reporters. What gives with those guys?
As the season goes on, they seem to get gotten pissier and pissier.

Yankees 11, Mariners 1: CC Sabathia (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER. 10K) and
Hideki Matsui (4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI) beat the tar out of the Mariners. Ian
Snell: “That lineup is just stupid. They shouldn’t be allowed to have a
lineup like that, but that is why their payroll is what it is. That is
a lineup nobody in the National League has.”

Marlins 9, Astros 2: Every couple of weeks I come across a game
about which I find nothing interesting. Nine out of ten times it’s an
Astros game, though I have no idea why. In light of coming across yet
another one, I’m going to note that I am currently re-reading Leo
Durocher’s Nice Guys Finish Last (which is being re-released very soon).
I’ll further note that, on the first page of the book, Leo talks about
all of the various ways he, his teammates and his opponents cheated
throughout their careers. He sums it up by saying “If you get away with
it, fine. If you don’t, what have you lost? . . . Win any way you can
as long as you can get away with it.” I sit here this morning wondering
why, then, we’re all so shocked and sanctimonious about everything that
has transpired in the past few years.